Published by James December 7th, 2006
in Album, Review and 2006.
I’m Not Young But I Need The Money, that is a sentiment that I can relate to but beyond my little dramas Monsieur Leroc has dropped another compelling album and this time he has crafted a thick stew of Funk, Soul, Hip Hop, with a dash of House and a pinch of smart Euro sensibilities.
It is a dense experiment where Leroc slices samples of Jerry Lee Lewis into the slinky jive of “Great Balls” or the swinging sultry tones of “Freewheelin’ Frankie” whose pacing conjures those fumbling moments between new lovers. the reward lies in seeing just where he’ll hop to next, particularly when it comes to the pieces that feature rhyming. Setting the tone with the second track, “Alles Für die Cuts”, Leroc introduces the listener to German rhymes, which are at first startling to an ear used to English but they quickly become infection and the flow is spot on. At that halfway point he switches gears and drops a more traditional Hip Hop number with “Give Me Not Trouble” which features the mind numbing nimble vocal work of Radioinactive. Rounding out the album is an homage to 80’s era Prince with “Baby” and its crisp drum samples, near ecstatic vocals, and laid back synth line.
Whether the tones are sexy, “Pacemaker” or the lyrics channeling the bizarre, “NewIceCreamTruckSound” I’m Not Young But I Need The Money never ceases surprise, bewilder, or get your jimmy foot bouncing. Highly recommended and easily makes its way onto my Best of 2006 list.
Published by James November 2nd, 2006
in Album, Review and 2006.
Afrobeat is the new hotness what with re-releases of Thomas Mapfumo, a renewed focus on the work of Fela Kuti, and a blizzard of releases in the past year by neo-Afrobeat groups like Akoya and Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra. Now, it might be easy to lump Nomo into this wave but there is something more going on. New Tones certainly holds a sheen of Afrobeat but that glimmer quickly disappears when you get deeper into the album and pay closer attention to the arrangements. Percussive guitar lines, thumb pianos, and syncopated cowbell does not make an album Afrobeat and Nomo is, by all rights, more a Jazz act than anything and one that pulls from a wide and diverse musical palette.
Soul, Funk, R&B, Breaks, and Afrobeat are all equally represented but all are interpreted through the lens of Jazz with a strong focus on modality, soloing, and interplay between voices during bridges and choruses. The weakly titled “New Song” is representative with the faint noir leanings of the guitar work channeling the sensibilities of James Hardway as saxophone and trumpet solos work to lay the melodic structure for the bridges leading into further solos or choruses. “If You Want” maintains the same level of soloing with Piccolo and Piedra providing a percussive backdrop ala Tony Allen. Closing the album is the sweetest track, “Sarvodaya”, with its cascading organ line that buoys a saxophone solo that flutters gently, howls as it plummets and screams as it soars all the while the arrangement maintains a quiet and meditative sense of peace in those contrasts.
New Tones easily slips onto my Best of 2006 list with its sly way of bending sounds into shapes that are at once provocative and party like. Nomo would make for one hell of a house band if the energy from this recording is any indication of their passion for their music. Grab it. Play it. You won’t have any regrets.
Published by James October 17th, 2006
in Album, Review and 2006.
Let me lead this post off by saying that if Ubiquity Records were a girl I’d be sending her flowers and poetry that professed my undying love and unassailable adoration for her everyday. Really, when has a label so consistently pummeled the market with so many excellent and can’t miss releases? Seriously, try and answer that. Anyways, the latest to hit my desk is Radio Citizen’s Berlin Serengeti, a pastiche of Soul Jazz, Hip Hop, Grooves, and Afro-Cuban breaks. It follows the trend–like Loka, James Hardway, and Quantic–of constructing songs that emulate live sessions and seeing as I am a sucker for anything that remotely approximates modal Jazz with a dash of Afro-Cuban rhythms I’m all over this release.
The opening track, “The Hop” is a bit of an anomaly as it introduces the album cloaked in Downtempo breaks: compressed drum patterns, a growling organ pacing about, light vocals from Bajaka give it a human element. It is a solid track but is deceptive as the remaining album slips into a moody and atmospheric Jazz breaks like the slippery “Mondlicht” which floats on patters of crash cymbals, soft reed and organ chords, and a bass line that slides down the arrangement. Tracks like that make Berlin Serengeti perfect for listening when you are trying to shake the effects of slumber, whether it is pulling you in or you are pushing it away the music is a perfect companion for the contemplative, quiet, and solitary moments.
Bajaka is a welcome addition as her smooth voice is reminiscent of an Eartha Kitt as she swallows her vowels with a splash of scotch and lime, warm yet slightly tart. She pairs well with the crackling breaks on “Everything” and the rubbery Dub and Bossa leaning “El Cielo” where the production seems to be channeling both Thievery Corporation and Tosca at once. For pacing, her five appearances are sprinkled throughout the entirety of the album as welcome islands to survey the album’s scope.
As we slip deeper into Autumn here in the Northern Hemisphere you can do no better than slipping on your headphones and shuffling through the leaves in the late evening to “Berlin Serengeti”. Check out Radio Citizen at Myspace, grab the 3hive freebie, or read more about the group over that Ubiquity’s website, and, as always, eMusic has the album.
Published by James July 5th, 2006
in Free Tracks, Album, Review and 2006.
Before I start babbling about Caldwell’s latest I just wanted to publicly pat myself on the back as I am listening to the album off my remote server using the most excellent SSHFS, which essentially allows me to mount a remote share locally through a secure tunnel–in plain speak my music at home is availble to me when I’m not. If you are at all interested you can check out my write up here.
Back to the music.
Universal Truth is not a ground breaking album. You are not going to be shaken to your core by chances taken and glimpses of genius in phrasing and composition. However, if you are a House head with a penchant for Disco, like myself, than this album will please. From the Cock-Rock opening “Runaway” to the Cruel Summer-esque “The Real” Caldwell delivers up sticky hooks and infectious beats. Not all the tracks thump along as some slow burners like “The Question” are tossed in to cool things down for a moment.
At the end of the disk is the most sublime track, excellent in nearly all of the singles that have come out but this incarnation is the perfect summer sound. It has just the right combination of Samba shimmy, R&B chorus, and sleepy Bossa shuffle. Of all the tracks Caldwell has written and produced this, by far, is my favorite as it captures his optomistic spirit and knack for shimmering House beats but recasts it into a sweetened beach number where you can almost feel the sand between your toes in the final refrain.
Sample some of his tracks over at music.download.com including three tracks from Universal Truth or just head over to eMusic or Amazon and grab it.
Published by James June 23rd, 2006
in Meta-Chatter and Free Tracks.
Just wanted to say that I am listening the ever living love out of the Soul Rebels latest, Urban Legend. It is a wild and cacophonious blend of Soul, Funk, and Hip Hop all channeled through the ebullient and boisterous sound of a New Orleans Brass Band. I’ll have a review up in a couple of days but just wanted to give it a shout out for my top summer album of this year. Check out some samples from their 2004 album, Rebulation, over at MySpace.
